Christiana Mall facts for kids
Entrance to the food court
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| Location | Christiana, Delaware, United States |
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| Coordinates | 39°40′43″N 75°39′10″W / 39.67861°N 75.65278°W |
| Address | 132 Christiana Mall Newark, DE 19702 |
| Opening date | October 16, 1978 |
| Developer | The Rubin Company and New Castle Associates |
| Management | Brookfield Properties |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 179 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,267,241 square feet (117,730.5 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in Barnes & Noble, JCPenney, Macy's, and Nordstrom) |
| Parking | Parking lot with 6,300 spaces |
| Public transit access |  DART First State bus: 5, 15, 33, 44, 47X, 51, 54, 55, 64, 301, 305 at the Christiana Mall Park & Ride |
The Christiana Mall is a very large shopping mall in Delaware, United States. It is located between the cities of Newark and Wilmington, Delaware. You can find it right where major roads like Interstate 95 meet Delaware Route 1 and Delaware Route 7.
The mall has four main anchor stores: Nordstrom, Macy's, JCPenney, and Target. It also has Barnes & Noble as a smaller anchor. Outside the main mall building, you'll find Cabela's and Cinemark Theatres. Christiana Mall has 179 shops in total. It is owned and managed by Brookfield Properties. The mall covers a huge area of about 1.2 million square feet. It is the biggest shopping mall in Delaware. It's also the largest mall in states that don't have a sales tax, except for Oregon. Many shoppers from nearby states come here because there's no sales tax in Delaware.
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Where is Christiana Mall Located?
The Christiana Mall is in northern New Castle County, Delaware. It's close to the community of Christiana. The mall sits between the cities of Wilmington and Newark. It's also not too far from bigger cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore.
You can get to the mall easily from Interstate 95 and Delaware Route 1/Delaware Route 7. There's a special exit (Exit 164) from DE 1 that leads right to Mall Road, which goes around the mall.
Getting to the Mall by Bus
The Christiana Mall is served by DART First State buses. Several bus routes (5, 15, 33, 44, 47X, 51, 54, 55, and 64) connect the mall to Wilmington, Newark, and other places in New Castle County. There are also longer bus routes (301 to Dover and 305 to Lewes and Rehoboth Beach) that stop here. All buses stop at the Christiana Mall Park & Ride near Nordstrom. Some routes also stop near Target.
What Can You Find at Christiana Mall?
Christiana Mall has about 1.2 million square feet of shops and 179 different stores. The main stores are JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Target. Barnes & Noble is also a big store inside. Outside, you'll find Cabela's and Cinemark Theatres.
Popular Stores and Places to Eat
You can find many popular stores here, like Anthropologie, Apple Store, Alex and Ani, Kiehl's, and Urban Outfitters. When you get hungry, there are lots of choices! The mall has a large food court with many options. There are also restaurants like Brio Tuscan Grille, California Pizza Kitchen, The Cheesecake Factory, and Panera Bread.
Why is Christiana Mall So Popular?
The Christiana Mall is a very popular place for shoppers. People from the Delaware Valley area (around Philadelphia) love to visit. It also attracts visitors from the New York, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. areas. They come here especially for the tax-free shopping in Delaware. Over 20 million people visit the mall every year! The Apple Store at Christiana Mall is even known for selling more iPhones than any other Apple Store.
Main Stores at Christiana Mall
- JCPenney - (2 floors, opened in 1978, one of the first big stores)
- Macy's - (2 floors, opened in 1986, used to be Bamberger's)
- Nordstrom - (2 floors, opened in 2011, built where Strawbridge's used to be)
- Target - (1 floor, opened in 2010, built where Lord & Taylor used to be)
- Barnes & Noble - (2 floors, opened in 2009)
History of Christiana Mall
How the Mall Started
The Christiana Mall was built in the late 1970s. It was designed to be bigger and better than other smaller malls nearby. The land where the mall stands used to be four family farms.
The first big store, Strawbridge & Clothier, opened in September 1978. It had a tall clock tower outside and a restaurant inside. Soon after, on October 16, 1978, the first part of the mall opened. This included many smaller shops. More parts of the mall, including Bamberger's and JCPenney, opened in 1979.
Changes to the Big Stores
The 1990s brought many changes to the main department stores at Christiana Mall. In 1995, Wanamaker's became Hecht's. A year later, Strawbridge & Clothier also became part of Hecht's. However, the Strawbridge's name was kept because it was more popular. The old Wanamaker's store was then changed into a Lord & Taylor in 1997.
In 2005, the company that owned Macy's bought the companies that owned Strawbridge's and Lord & Taylor. This meant they owned three of the four big stores at Christiana Mall. Because of this, Strawbridge's and Lord & Taylor closed in 2006.
The empty Lord & Taylor store was taken down in 2010. A new, one-level Target store was built in its place. Target opened on October 10, 2010.
The old Strawbridge's store was also taken down in 2008. A new, two-level Nordstrom store was built there, along with new shops. Nordstrom opened on April 8, 2011. It was the first Nordstrom store in Delaware.
In 2013, construction began on a large Cabela's store outside the mall. Cabela's opened in May 2014. A new 12-screen Cinemark Theatres movie theater also opened in November 2014.
Mall Updates and Expansions
The mall had its first big update and expansion in 1991. New areas were added, and a new center court with skylights and a fountain became the main spot for events. The mall took on a bent, cross-like shape.
From 2008 to 2011, the mall went through more big changes. The old Lord & Taylor store was replaced by Target. A new food court opened in 2009 where an old movie theater used to be. The original food court area was turned into new shops. The old Strawbridge's store was replaced by the new Nordstrom and more mall space.
The outside of the mall also got a new look. This included new lights, flooring, and a grand entrance near the food court. Many of the mall's stores were also updated or moved during this time.
More construction happened from 2013 to 2014. This included building the Cabela's store and the Cinemark Theatre. The roads around the mall were also made wider, and more parking was added. These projects were finished in 2014. Many new stores opened inside the mall, and existing stores were remodeled.
Images for kids
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Entrance to the food court
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Wanamaker/Lord & Taylor (now Target) wing, prior to renovations
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Christiana Mall between Macy's and JCPenney
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Christiana Mall between Macy's and Target
